Can we make the tournament?

[Spartanmack]

We look like absolute garbage against MD right now. Can’t shoot, can’t score inside, can’t make FTs, or defend the 3 pt line.

Need a much better 2nd half.

 

[Spartanmack]

Not getting that much better 2nd half so far.

Only 6 fouls to 0 five mins into second half. MD should be in dbl bonus for at least 8 minutes

 

[Mitchrapp]

Not sure if it's who they're playing but Maryland looks really good.

 

[Spartanmack]

2-2 in the last 4 is looking like a pipe dream. This makeup scheduling is taking a toll.

 

[gotime909]

I still think they're in with a win over Indiana and at least 1 btt win or just beating UM once.

 

[Michchamp]

Did Izzo go back to the All Clarkston Kid lineup for the Maryland game?

 

[SpartyNash]

Pretty disgraceful showing today. Couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean and I was extremely unhappy with our coaching, seemingly zero in game adjustments for Maryland’s defense and we just kept throwing it around the wing and chucking some garbage shot as the clock expired.

 

[Spartanmack]

Pretty disgraceful showing today. Couldn?t throw the ball in the ocean and I was extremely unhappy with our coaching, seemingly zero in game adjustments for Maryland?s defense and we just kept throwing it around the wing and chucking some garbage shot as the clock expired.

If they had a couple reliable shooters or someone running backdoor cuts they could have won walking away - every time Henry tried to drive he would run into a double or triple team closing off the paint. Of course, it didn't help that Henry didn't seem to know where to go with the ball once he ran into those walls.

 

[Spartanmack]

I still think they're in with a win over Indiana and at least 1 btt win or just beating UM once.

I hope you're right but I think at 8-12 and in 9th place in the B1G, we'll need more than one BTT win.

Unfortunately it's looking like 8-12 is best case scenario right now.

 

[Sbee]

Pretty disgraceful showing today. Couldn?t throw the ball in the ocean and I was extremely unhappy with our coaching, seemingly zero in game adjustments for Maryland?s defense and we just kept throwing it around the wing and chucking some garbage shot as the clock expired.

this was a bit of a scheduling loss, not at all saying that we would have won @MD but having a stretch of 3 games in 6 days is brutal. MD was off all week, the gas tank argument is a little less valid but the prep time and scouting argument is a big issue.

 

[Sbee]

I still think they're in with a win over Indiana and at least 1 btt win or just beating UM once.

I'd say that 2 wins of any kind get us in right now, but that makes Tuesday vs Indiana really a must win. IU is reeling and Archie Miller might be on the hot seat, we'll see how they respond. as for beating Michigan, tall order but I think the idea of playing them back to back helps us. I think we lose by 15-20 in AA and then play a tight game in EL. it's hard to sweep teams in back to back games, coaching adjustments are made and there's a complacency factor as well.

 

[byco42]

I'd say that 2 wins of any kind get us in right now, but that makes Tuesday vs Indiana really a must win. IU is reeling and Archie Miller might be on the hot seat, we'll see how they respond. as for beating Michigan, tall order but I think the idea of playing them back to back helps us. I think we lose by 15-20 in AA and then play a tight game in EL. it's hard to sweep teams in back to back games, coaching adjustments are made and there's a complacency factor as well.

Very wary of the Spartans. Always have been; always will be. I?m reminded that a lot of their current players are 4-1 vs. Michigan.

 

[Spartanmack]

Very wary of the Spartans. Always have been; always will be. I’m reminded that a lot of their current players are 4-1 vs. Michigan.

It's probably wise to not completely write us off, but those kids are 4-1 mostly because of players that are no longer on the team (specifically, Winston and Tillman). This is a very different team without them. uofm is also a very different team - adding a transfer at PG and having a 7' freshman outperform expectations on top of Wagner's development. They've improved considerably while we've gotten considerably worse.

I agree we most likely get blown out in AA and possibly play a close game in E Lansing but I would be really surprised if we win. I think our best chance at beating uofm this year would be a third meeting in the BTT.

 

[byco42]

It's probably wise to not completely write us off, but those kids are 4-1 because of 2 players that are no longer on the team (Winston and Tillman). This is a very different team without them. I agree we most likely get blown out in AA and possibly play a close game in E Lansing but I would really surprised if we win. I think our best chance at beating uofm this year would be a third meeting in the BTT.

An underdog MSU team has always had a better chance of winning than an underdog Michigan team. And MSU has its share of conference wins vs. quality opponents.

 

[Spartanmack]

An underdog MSU team has always had a better chance of winning than an underdog Michigan team. And MSU has its share of conference wins vs. quality opponents.

That's true, but we also have more than our share of embarrassing, deep double digit losses to mediocre and bad teams. This MSU team has more of a Jekyl and Hyde personality than I've ever seen. It's been frustrating.

If Tillman stayed, I don't think we'd be having these conversations - I think we'd be 3rd, maybe 5th in the B1G, comfortably in the tournament right now.

 

[Spartanmack]

An underdog MSU team has always had a better chance of winning than an underdog Michigan team. And MSU has its share of conference wins vs. quality opponents.

and while I don't think uofm has a player that can just take over a game, you do have everything else. Livers can get a bucket when you need it, you have good shooting, Wagner can get to the basket, you have a big guy who can score and be a rim protector and they can defend the whole floor. We could shut down Garza, but we couldn't do that and defend the 3 pt line, uofm can do both. They're the most complete team in the B1G right now - they have to play poorly in order for us to win because we're not better in any aspect of the game.

 

[Spartanmack]

Well, I was hoping uofm would have this night on Thursday instead of tonight. what are the odds they can play like crap 2 games in a row for the first time this season? And 3 in a row?

 

[gotime909]

Trying to figure out how Rutgers is a lock at a 8/9 seed right now and we're in the last team in/first team out conversation. Our overall resume seems better

 

[Spartanmack]

Trying to figure out how Rutgers is a lock at a 8/9 seed right now and we're in the last team in/first team out conversation. Our overall resume seems better

I don't pay much attention to the selection criteria so I don't know what I'm missing, but unless we at least split with uofm, right now I don't see what's better about our overall resume.

If we beat uofm twice, I agree we'll clearly have the better resume, if we split we'll have two more quality wins but will either be behind them or tied in the conference standings. if we get swept by uofm and they beat MN wouldn't it be hard to say we have the better overall resume?

In my view, I think RU has to beat MN to be a lock. Maybe they're saying RU is a lock since they're guaranteed to finish 8th in the B1G?

by the way, I'm basing my opinions re: our chances on the assumption that 8 B1G teams will get in - is that too low?

 

[gotime909]

We have 1 bad loss(nw) and 2 top 5 wins(ILL and OSU) they have 2 bad loss(psu and neb) and 1 top 5 win(ILL) rest is basically the same.